MALACANANG has underscored the need to review the implementation of more than 500 flood control projects in Cebu to ensure their effectiveness and the proper use of government funds.
Meanwhile, Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, chairman of the House Committee on Infrastructure, has urged the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to investigate QM Builders, one of the top 15 contractors previously cited by President Marcos in connection with the flood control scandal.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said that from 2016 to 2022 alone, at least 343 flood control projects were implemented in the province, with two of them having been “terminated.”
Castro noted that under the Marcos administration, there are 168 flood mitigation projects, with 55 still ongoing.
“She said the flood control projects implemented under the Duterte administration “should have been working” by now.
“Hence, this also needs to be reviewed because if there were already 343 flood control projects back then, they should have been working,” Castro added.
Castro made the statement in the aftermath of Typhoon “Tino” (international name Kalmaegi), which triggered widespread flooding in Cebu.
Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro lamented that the province continues to experience flash floods despite the allocation of P26 billion for flood control initiatives.
Castro said the Palace welcomes any data or information related to the flood control projects that Baricuatro may provide.
“If she has any information, facts, or data that can help the government hold those accountable, it is welcome,” she said.
“So, we need to work together to identify who should be held accountable for the anomalous flood control projects,” she noted.
Castro said President Marcos would also visit Cebu to assess “Tino’s” damage.
Ridon’s call came on the heels of widespread flooding in Cebu amid the recent onslaught of Typhoon Tino, which reportedly overwhelmed several flood control projects handled by QM Builders.
Ridon told reporters that all projects in the province should be thoroughly reviewed to determine whether they were executed properly.
“QM Builders is one of the top 15 contractors mentioned by the President and is based in Cebu. I believe all of their projects in the province should be fully scrutinized,” Ridon said.
“The ICI has already established a template for investigating kickbacks and substandard work in Bulacan. The same framework should be applied here to determine whether the flood control projects in Cebu functioned as intended,” Ridon noted.
He also said the Cebu investigation could uncover whether other contractors were involved in poorly executed projects similar to those implicated in Bulacan.
